Hiral Bhagat presents The Calligraphy of Belonging where the artist represents contemporary Indian calligraphy
script of her mother tongue, Gujarati. This extensive repertoire illustrates how typographically-composed
texts from poetry are transformed through forms, sound and space.
With the shifting landscapes of our lives, we strive to adjust and search for a new sense of identity. Belonging is not just tied to land or language, it is emotional and spiritual, like an inner gravity. Think of Mira Bai, the 16 th century Bhakti poet, whose songs for Lord Krishna echo her immense devotion – its resonance felt profoundly in the Gujarati literary tradition. Gujarat has had a rich tradition of poetry and literature, starting from Narsinh Mehta (1414-1481), who is known as the Adi Kavi in the Gujarati language.
